


fifty-two seconds of silence

by petroltogo



Series: Dragon Fire And Metal Treasures [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Brainwashing, Bucky hears Tony's voice, Gen, Implied Torture, M/M, Pre-Relationship, The Asset hears a voice, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, alternative universe, because hydra, mental issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-31 01:28:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8557927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petroltogo/pseuds/petroltogo
Summary: WinterIron AU in which Bucky hears Tony’s voice in his head. Inspired by a prompt from @writemesomewords on tumblr.





	

 

“ _-adjust the parameters, let’s say, what, two point five percent? Or not, no. No, no, no, absolutely not. JARVIS, recalculate the maximum weight the metal could…yeah, just like that… Possibly have to exchange the caliumcarbonate-_ ”

A voice, talking way too fast on not enough breath, is the first thing the Asset becomes aware of.

It’s familiar, the voice. The Asset can not identify its source nor its purpose. The voice does not share relevant information nor does it provide assistance during his missions. It’s just there, a quiet murmur in the Asset’s ears. An endless conversation that does not require the Asset to participate.

The voice is with the Asset. Always. The Asset does not know where it comes from or if it’s always been there. The Asset does not know the voice’s purpose but it does not hinder the Asset’s efficiency as long as the Asset does not allow itself to be distracted, so the Asset does not question it.

The voice keeps talking.

*

The Asset lies motionless, pressed to the ground, carefully outside the view of the scheduled guards. The mission requires stealth and patience and an impossible shot, things the Asset is used to provide.

The Asset adjusts the scope on the sniper riffle. Slows its breathing in concentration. Listens to the soft hum of conversation in its ears.

“ _-what do you think you’re- No. No, DUM-E, lift the plate, not find the lift! Will you stop-_ ”

Pulls the trigger. Hits.

*

The Asset- _He_ is confused.

His mission is wrong and he’s not sure why. The blonde he’s been hunting ~~is strange~~ ~~is familiar~~ has started hunting him and that’s never happened before. The Asset doesn’t know what to do, ~~finish the mission~~ , who is this Bucky, why does he look at me like that?

It doesn’t make sense. Nothing makes sense anymore.

“ _Being an obnoxious idiot must make it hard for the little bit of common sense you’ve got left to penetrate that thick skull of yours-_ ”

 ~~The Asset~~ He runs. The voice keeps talking.

*

The ~~mission’s~~ man’s name is Steve Rogers. His name is Bucky Barnes.

 ~~The As~~ He is Bucky Barnes.

He knows that now. But he doesn’t remember what that means, doesn’t remember what it means to _be_ Bucky Barnes, so he keeps running. Keeps listening.

“ _-what do you mean, it’s almost like I purposefully provoked him? There was no ‘almost’ about it! I’m not gonna apologise, did you even hear what- I’m not being unreasonable!_ ”

There’s always something to listen to.

*

 ~~He~~ Bucky keeps running. ~~Rogers~~ Steve keeps following.

 ~~He~~ Bucky remembers. Something. Sometimes.

Remembers HYDRA. Remembers missions. Remembers faces. Remembers death.

“ _-order pizza, you know what I like-_ ”

 ~~He~~ Bucky keeps running. ~~Rogers~~ Steve keeps following.

 ~~He~~ Bucky dreams. Dreams of tears and begging and crying. Dreams of a trigger he always pulls. Dreams of missions and success and the taste of blood on his tongue.

The nights are too long, ~~always~~ sometimes. The memories hurt and shock and don’t change anything at all. They terrify him because they’re new and old at the same time, things he only just remembers yet somehow knew all along.

“ _-is only my forth coffee today, honest, I swear, why are you looking at me like that?_ ”

 ~~He~~ Bucky keeps running. ~~Rogers~~ Steve keeps following. 

The voice keeps talking.

 ~~He~~ Bucky wonders if it’s always been like this. He doesn’t know though, doesn’t remember.

So ~~he~~ Bucky runs. ~~He~~ Bucky listens.

The voice keeps talking.

*

Steve—Stevie, small, frail, sick—finds him eventually.

Bucky—protect, save, hold—lets himself be found.

“ _-Hammer technology, it doesn’t have to do anything! That it exists is an inexcusable offence on its own and you can quote me on that!_ ”

Steve isn’t the same anymore and it’s both, good and bad, because Bucky isn’t the same either. It’s scary and worrisome and just plain wrong. Feels like he’s falling sometimes, the ground beneath his feet crumbling, just when he thinks he’s finally regained his footing.

The voice keeps talking.

*

Bucky is getting better, he knows he is. He hasn’t tried to kill Steve in almost two months, hasn’t lost his composure in public in weeks. Bucky’s getting better, even Sam says so.

Of course he doesn’t know about the voice in Bucky’s head, the one that’s remained unchanged even after all of HYDRA’s programs have been erased. Bucky has no plans to inform Sam of its existence, hasn’t even dared to ask Steve about it, the only person alive who could tell him for sure whether this voice is a result from his years in HYDRA’s merciless hands or not.

Because deep down Bucky knows the answer, knows the truth and he ~~doesn’t~~  can’t allow himself to care. Not when it might mean losing the voice.

“ _I miss it. I miss them. But that doesn’t really change anything, does it?_ ”

The voice keeps talking.

Bucky keeps listening.

*

It’s quiet.

The tower is tall, with too much metal and too many windows, cold and impersonal in a way Bucky has come to associate with modern architecture, but he had been fine. 

Steve has been sure that he could do this. Sam hasn’t stopped insisting he was ready for the past month now and frankly Bucky has been willing to go along with whatever crackpot scheme the other man could think of, if only it would shut him the fuck up.

Bucky still doesn’t understand why Steve beamed when he said as much earlier this day. Not that it matters anymore because even as the elevator doors open Bucky knows he was wrong. They were wrong.

It’s _quiet_.

Bucky didn’t know that he hates silence, despises it, loathes it. He’s never had the chance to find out, until now.

“-can be somewhat, well, abrasive and even crass at times but he’s a good man, Buck, even though he tries his hardest to convince people otherwise-”

Steve is still talking but Bucky isn’t listening anymore, can barely remember how to breathe when his chest feels so tight and his hands are cold, so cold and-

It’s quiet. 

The voice is _gone_.

“Woah, let the poor guy get through the door before you hand him my psych eval, will you, Cap?”

An ~~amused~~ sharp voice ~~speaks~~ interrupts Steve’s ramblings and Bucky’s head snaps around so fast he can feel the pull in his muscles, not that he cares. Not when he recognises that voice, gets to hear it again after ~~fifty-two seconds~~ an eternity of agonising _silence_.

Bucky is staring at the other male, he knows, but he can’t bear looking away from warm, brown eyes that are familiar in a way even Steve’s haven’t been in far too long.

“So, you’re the second part of the two for one special deal on super soldiers, huh?” ~~the stranger~~ ~~the voice~~ Tony Stark says as he crosses the distance between them. He spreads his hands, a wide, mocking smirk painted on his lips that reeks of challenge and antagonism and settles something in Bucky’s chest he hasn’t noticed had been knocked loose until now.

And for the first time since he fell from a train almost seventy years ago, the Asset, He, Bucky _breathes_.

There is no room for silence around Tony Stark.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short idea that got stuck in my head. Turns out I really like writing the Asset. I hope you all had a great start into the week!
> 
> Check out my tumblr [tonystarktogo](http://tonystarktogo.tumblr.com/) . I'm taking prompts!


End file.
